Washington (CNN) – Both sides from the dueling responses to the president’s State of the Union speech are treading carefully heading into Tuesday.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, is giving the official Republican response to the president’s speech. Rubio’s colleague, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, will deliver the reaction from the Tea Party Express.

Watch CNN's comprehensive coverage of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address starting Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET on CNN TV and follow online at CNN.com or via CNN's apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. Follow our real-time State of the Union live blog at cnn.com/conversation.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) – Tea party leaders are turning to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, to deliver their message following President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, a speech that will compete with the official Republican response.

Paul will make his remarks soon after Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, wraps up the GOP response Tuesday night, a Paul spokeswoman confirms to CNN.FULL POST

(CNN) – After some tea party leaders blamed Mitt Romney's loss in the presidential election on his lack of conservatism, Rep. Steve LaTourette of Ohio, a moderate Republican who announced his retirement in July, offered sharp criticism to their reaction.

"There's a one-word phrase we use in Ohio for that: Crap. That's nonsense," LaTourette said Thursday on CNN's "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien."FULL POST

Tea Party Patriots National Coordinator Jenny Beth Martin joins other members of the Tea Party outside the U.S. Supreme Court during the third day of oral arguements over the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act March 28, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Tampa, Florida (CNN) – The Republican National Convention adopted two controversial rules on Tuesday. But a fight over their adoption threw a wrench in the convention's carefully scripted events: pitting the likes of Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and grassroots activists on one side with Mitt Romney's campaign and establishment Republicans on the other.

The days-long fight reached climax just hours after the Tuesday RNC session began, with supporters of the rules cheering their adoption and opponents booing against them. Moments before, some delegates even laid out angry – yet unsubstantiated – claims of meddling to keep some delegates away from a committee vote.FULL POST

Tampa, Florida (CNN) – Is the tea party changing the Republican Party from the inside - or selling out to the GOP?

As Republicans prepare to officially roll out Mitt Romney as their party's presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention this week, major tea party groups and figures have descended on Tampa, Florida, to schmooze with party bigwigs and rally for Romney.

The Minnesota congresswoman and former GOP presidential contender made the remarks at the rally in Tampa ahead of the Republican National Convention, the first day of which was canceled due to weather conditions related to Tropical Storm Isaac.FULL POST